Low-voltage release mechanism for switches



April 29, 1930; c. H. BISSELL 79 LOW VOLTAGE RELEASE MECHANISM FOR SWITCHES Filed Oct. 23, 1923 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 f 1/ EN TOR.

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l w I I 1 lar n L l TIILIJL a W u April 29, 1930. c. H. BISSELL 1,756,479

LOW VOLTAGE RELEASE MECHANISM FOR SWITCHES Filed Oct. 25, 1923 3 Sheets-Shet 2 1 N V TOR,

*ATTQRNE April 29, 1930. c. H. B ISSELL LOW VOLTAGE RELEASE MECHANISM FOR SWITCHES v 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed 001;. 23, 1923 *Li {F,- I L' l L. L

INkENTOR.

fl g ZM ATTO NEW Patented Apr. 29, 1930 UNITED STATES CARL H. BISSELL, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 GROUSE-HINDS COMPANY,

PATENT orrlca OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK LOW-VOLTAGE RELEASE MECHANISM FOR SWITCHES Application filed October 23,1923. Serial No. 670,382.

10 had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a plan view of a switch embodying my invention.

Figure2 is a side elevation thereof partly in section.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view showing the switch member and contiguous parts.

Figure 4 is a detail view of parts of the 0 low voltage release mechanism.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of the wiring of the low voltage release.

Figure 6 is a detail view of one of the cores.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view of the means for preventing opening of the door of t he f11se compartment when the switch is on This low voltage release mechanism comprises an electric circuit, a manually closable switch in such circuit including a movable member, electromagnetic means for controlling the opening of the switch, the windings of the electromagnetic means being connected to the branches of the circuit closed by the movable switch member whereby when the circuit is broken the windings of the electromagnetic means are deenergized and the cores of such means permitted to move from the position they are held by the magnetic flux and connections operated by such movement of the cores to open the manually closable switch.

The switch may be of any suitable form, size and construction and is here shown as located in a casing or box which also has a compartment for the switch mechanism and a compartment for the fuses. I have here shown my invention as used in connection with the three-wire system.

1 designates the case or box adapted to be connected in a conduit system, it having a illustrated, comprises switch members which comprise three laminated arms 2 which move into and out of engagement with pairs of contacts 3, 4. there being three contacts?) and three contacts 4, and the contacts 3 being connected to terminals 5, which are, in turn, connected to the service wires entering one end of the box, and the contacts 4 being connected to fuse contacts 8. The fuse contacts 8 are connected through the fuses 9 to fuse contacts 10 paired with the contacts 8, these contacts 10 being connected to terminalsll, which are connected to the service wires leaving the other end of the box. The contacts 3, 4 and the switch mechanism are mounted on a mountable base 12 secured to the box in any suitable manner and the fuse contacts are also mounted on such base. The box is provided with a cover 14 hinged at 15 thereto and permanently held in closed position by screws 16 and the cover 14 is also formed with a hinged door 17 opposite the fuses or the fuse compartment, the door being normally held closed by a suitable latch 18.

The laminated switch members 2 are operated by suitable mechanism here shown as comprising a rock shaft 20 carried in a frame 21, toggle mechanism 22 between the shaft and the rod 23 carrying the laminated switch members and a handle for operating the shaft.

The frame 21 is mounted upon the base 12 and is provided with a suitable stop, as a set screw 25, coacting with a radial arm 26 on the shaft to limit the movement of the shaft just prior to the time the toggle comes into a straight or dead center line. A suitable spring 27 acts on the toggle links in such manner as to tend to unfold the toggle, the spring being connected at one end to the rod 23 and at its other end to the frame. Usually there are two toggles located on opposite sides of the frame 21, each consisting of links 29, 30, pivoted together at 31, each link 29 being mounted on the shaft 20 and each link 30 pivoted on the rod 23, carrying the laminated switch arms.

The shaft 20 is actuated by mechanism here shown as a shaft 32 journalled in one side of the box 1 and extending from the outside thereof and coupled at its inner end by a suitable coupling or universal joint 32 to the shaft 20, a handle or lever 33 and motion transmitting means between the handle and the shaft 32, the handle operating to rock the shaft 20 to move the switch arms 3 into closed or on position. The switch is held in its on position by lock or latch Inechanism, said mechanism usually comprising a spring pressed lock or latch acting on the shaft and movable by its spring into operative position and a lock or latch coacting with the handle, the handle having means arranged to trip the lock for the shaft when the handle is moved in a retrograde direction. The lock for the handle is releasable manually or by the low voltage release mechanism.

The handle 33 is preferably mounted on the outer end of the shaft 32 to rotate about the same and is connected to the shaft 32 by a lost motion connection. As here illustrated, this lost motion connection is in the nature of a pin and slot and comprises an outwardly extending shoulder 34 here shown as formed on a collar 35 fixed to the shaft and a laterally extending pin 36 on the hub 33 of the handle, the pin extending into the path of the shoulder 34. Upon movement of the handle in one direction, as upwardly, the pin 36 engages the shoulder 34 and rocks the shaft to extend the toggle against the action of the toggle spring 27 and also the resiliency of the laminations of the switch arm 3.

The lock or latch 37 for holding the switch in its on position, as here shown, coacts directly with the collar 35 which is fixed or keyed to the shaft 32 and is automatically movable into operative position and released by the movement of the handle downwardly when the handle is moved relatively to the shaft 32 in a retrograde direction such movement being permitted by lost movement connection.

As here illustrated, the latch 37 is pivoted on a stud 38 extending from one side of the box 1, the latch having an end engagement with an outwardly extending arm or shoulder 39 provided on the collar 35. The stud 38 is arranged on one side of the shaft 32 and the engaging end of the latch 37 on the opposite side, and the spring 40 for moving the latch 37 into its operative position is connected to the stud 38 on one side of such stud and extends obliquely across a straight line passing through the stud 38 and the point of contact of the engaging end of the latch 37 with the arm or shoulder 39, and is connected at its other end to the latch 37 on the oppo site side of such line. As here illustrated, the engaging end of the latch 37 is adjustable and it consists of a set screw 41 threading through the end of the latch 37 remote from the stud 38, the set screw 41 being arranged substantially radially with the stud 38. Usually the arm 39 of the collar 35 is provided with a roller 42 with which the set screw coacts. This latch is tripped during the retrograde movement of the handle lever 33 by the pin 36, which pin moves into engagement with a shoulder 43 provided on the latch in the ath of such pin 36.

T e opening of the switch is preferably controlled by means coactin with the handle, this means being here shown as a latch 44 coactin with a shoulder 45 on the hub of the handle, this latch being operable either by hand or by the low voltage release means. The latch 44, as here shown, is in the form of a bell crank lever mounted on the stud 38, one arm thereof coacting with the hub of the handle and the other arm 46 with the low voltage release mechanism. Obviously, upon the tripping of the latch 44 the handle will fall down by its own weight from the position shown in Figure 2, causing the pin 36 thereon to strike the shoulder 43 on the latch 38 and trip such latch, thus releasing the shaft 20, so that the toggle spring 27 is free to act to open the switch.

The automatic means for controlling the opening of the switch, as here shown, comprises a pair of coils 47, 48 suitably supported within a casing 49 mounted on the outside of the box 1, each coil being connected to one of the outside conductors of the circuit and to the central conductors at the ends of the fuses 9 remote from the switch members 3, that is, at the fuse contacts 10 or the terminals 11, movable cores 50, 51 arranged within the coils, and means for transferring the movement of the cores to the latch 44. The coil 47, as here shown, is connected at its upper end by a wire 52 to the terminal 10 of one outside main conductor as that on the right hand of Figure 3, and the lower end of the coil 48 is shown as connected by wire 53 to the contact 10 in the other outside main and the inner ends of the coils are shown as connected by a common conductor 54 to the fuse contact 10 of the central main or conductor.

The means for t-ransferrin the movement of the cores 50, 51 to the late or lock 44 for the handle as here shown, comprises a rod 55 movable e'ndwisely through the casing 49 and through the cores 50, 51 and having shoulders 56, 57 arranged in the path of the cores 50, 51 respectively, this rod being connected to the arm 46 of the latch lever 44. A suitable spring 58 acts on the lever 44 to press it into its latching position, this spring being interposed between the lever arm 46 and the top of the casing 49. Also, the rod is provided with a suitable handle as a-ring 59 at its lower end. In operation, when the switch is on, the rod 55 is moved upwardly by the spring 58 and this spring moves the latch lever 44 into engagement with the shoulder 45 on the handle to hold the handle in on position. Durin the movement of the bandle 33 to its on position, it rocks the shaft 32 by reason of the pin 36 engaging the shoulder 34 on the collar 35 and, when the switch reaches its on position, the spring 40 pulls the latch 37 into engagement with the shoulder 39 of the collar 35.

If either of the fuses 9 in the outside main conductors burns out, or if for any other reason, the circuit is broken through such outside main, the corresponding coil 47 or 48 will be deenergized permitting the armature or core 50 or 51 to drop and act as a hammer on the shoulders 56 or 57, thus moving the rod 55 downwardly and tripping the latch 44. Upon the tripping of the latch, the handle 33 will drop by gravity and the pin 36 thereon will engage and trip the latch 37, holding the shaft 32, thus permitting the toggle spring to open the switch. If, for any reason, the circuit becomes broken through the central mainconductors, as, if the fuses 9 in the central main burn, the resistance of the magnet coils 47, 48 is so great that the magnets are not powerful enough to hold the armatures elevated and both armatures or cores drop and act on the shoulders 56, 57 as hammers to release the latch 37 so that the switch opens, as before described.

Each core 50, 51 is split lengthwise, (Fig. 6) to prevent the formation of circuits in the cores. vThe movement of the cores by the coils is limited by stops 60, 61 which may be of magnetic material to aid in holding the cores up while the magnets are energized.

Means is also provided for preventing the opening of the door 17, which gives access to the fuse compartment, when the switch is closed, this means consisting of an endwisely movable bolt 62 connected to a rock arm 63 on the shaft 32 or the coupling 32 and movable rearwardly when the switch .is thrown into the path of a shoulder 64 on the inner side of the upper edge of the door above the hinge pin 65 of the door.

What I claim is 1. The combination of a switch, electromagnetic means for controlling the opening of the switch comprising an axially movable rod having shoulders thereon, a pair of electromagnet coils arranged concentric with said rod and spaced apart along the same, cores movable in the coils along the rod into and out of enga ement with the shoulders respectively and einglnormally held out of engagement thereiwit when the coils are energized and acting1 as hammers on the shoulders to move t e rod endwise when either of the coils is deenergized.

2. In a circuit controlling device, in combination, an electromagnet having a rod operable to control an electric circuit, separate windings included in the magnet and adapted to be separately energized, separate cores mounted on the rod, each core being responsive to but one winding of said magnet, and means on the rod to engage a core when the core is moved in one direction.

3. In a circuit controlling device, an electromagnet including a plurality of coils and means for energizing the same, a rod arranged within said coils and movable therein, an armature for each of said coils, said armatures surrounding said rod and each being responsive only to its respective coil, each of said armatures being movable in one direction when the coils are energized, and movable in the opposite direction when released 

